Our Strategic Plan
We are happy to share The California Work & Family Coalition’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.
We’ve made huge strides toward paid leave and family-friendly workplaces for all in California, but we recognize there is still a lot to be done. Through our strategic planning process, members identified priorities and goals to continue winning inclusive laws and organizing effective education and implementation campaigns.
We are thankful to the incredible members and partners who have gotten us this far! We are so excited to move into the next phase of our work and proud of the collaboration and collective the work in the recent past and the work moving forward.
Our Vision
We envision a world where all people, whether currently working or not, have the power, time, resources, and support systems to care for themselves and their families, whether biological or chosen, to build collective community, and to rest and pursue fulfilling and healthy lives.
Our Mission
Our mission is to build a statewide movement dedicated to securing the rights, resources, and accommodations that all Californians need to care for themselves and their biological or chosen families.
Our Guiding Values
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We are stronger when we work together to achieve common goals, and when we center those of us who have historically been denied power and agency in our society.
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All of us will need care at some point in our lives. The dignity of the caregiver and the person they are caring for must be equally honored. Workers must have reliable access to income replacement so that taking time off from their jobs to provide or receive care will not jeopardize their livelihoods. Professional caregivers must be compensated well for this work.
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People deserve to be treated as whole humans, with the right to rest, reflect, and thrive outside of their roles as workers and caregivers. Policies that support the total person are good for workers, families, and our society.
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We prioritize advocating for the needs of specific communities who have been systemically harmed. To create systems change we must acknowledge intersectional identities and that equal treatment alone will not dismantle the societal barriers faced by people in historically excluded communities.
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Policies affect individuals and communities differently. In order to create change that reflects the needs and experiences of all communities, we commit to prioritizing diverse representation, inclusion, and a sense of belonging both within the Coalition and in our collective mission.
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We work in solidarity to improve conditions for our larger community and establish a social safety net that benefits us all. We take into consideration the needs of others, even if we will not be personally impacted.
2024 - 2029 CAWFC Policy Vision
We are committed to working with and learning from California’s diverse communities to ensure that every Californian has the power, time, resources and support systems they need to care for themselves and their families. Please see our mission, vision and values outlined in our 2024 - 2029 strategic plan here.
We are committed to education and implementation of current leave protections. Every California worker should understand their rights, should be able to exercise their rights without fear of retaliation and should be able to apply for benefits.
Every California worker should be able to take a paid sick and safe day when they need to. Workers should be able to earn and use an adequate number of paid sick and safe days each year.
Paid Family Leave and Disability Insurance benefits should be accessible to all California workers. Parents, family caregivers and people with serious health conditions should be able to afford to take leave, receive benefits promptly, to take leave for enough time and to care for their families, whether biological or chosen.
No California worker should be fired when they need leave to care for themselves or a loved one, or to bond with a new child. Pregnancy Disability Leave and the California Family Rights Act should be accessible to all workers.
In addition to being able to take leave, California workers who are pregnant, lactating or caring for a loved one should not be forced out of the workforce. California workers should be able to access accommodations to continue working while pregnant, lactating or caring for a loved one, whether a child or another family member.
California workers who need leave to grieve for a loved one or to secure their or a family members’ safety after experiencing a violent crime should be able to do so. California's safe leave and bereavement leave laws should be accessible to all workers.
We understand that access to paid family and medical leave is just one of many needed policy changes to realize our vision. We understand that unchecked corporate power and restrictions on democracy impact working people’s lives and make it harder for us to organize and win the changes we need. We stand in solidarity with undocumented communities, BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ communities, workers organizing in their workplaces and support reproductive freedom.
